Overview
In 1922, Commander Thomas Keane took over the position of acting director of
the Sea Scout department. Over the next few years, he would revamp the
whole Sea Scout program. A new Sea Scout Manual was produced in
1925. The uniforms and insignia became the familiar seagoing uniform we
know today. The four stage advancement program was put into place.
In 1927, Keene
was appointed National Director of Sea Scouting, its first full-time
professional director. During World War II, Keene would be called to active service in
the Navy in 1941 and stepped down as the national director of Senior
Scouting.By about the mid-1940s, the
program that most people know of as the Sea Scout program was in place and had
more or less remained so until today.

In 1949, with the rest of the Senior Scouting program, Sea Scouts became Sea Explorers. However, for the most part
the program has remained essentially the same. There have been minor
changes over the years, however.

Program
The program was a naval style nautical program. Sea Scouts learned about
the sea and other nautical matters and traditions. Sea Scout Ships were
to build their program around 4 "S's": Scouting, Seamanship, Service,
and Social.

The Sea Promise(started in 1920)
As a Sea Scout I promise to do my best--
1. To guard against water accidents.
2. To know the location and proper use of the life saving devices on every boat
I board.
3. To be prepared to render aid to those in need.
4. To seek to preserve the Motto of the Sea, "Women and Children
First."

Uniform
Under the new program, Sea Scouts had uniforms similar to that worn by the
Navy: Navy blue “crackerjacks” for winter months, white “crackerjacks”
for summer, and adult leaders would wear a navy blue double-breasted coat with
navy trousers (white during summer). Youth wore uniforms similar to
enlisted naval personnel, and adult wore uniforms similar to officers.
However, changes were made in the uniforms so that they would not be mistaken
for Navy personnel. For instance, the "Sea Scouts, BSA" strip
would be worn, on the blue jumper, the middle of the three collar strips would
be removed, etc. Insignia was thus developed on both navy blue and white. For a brief time, a ‘fatigue’
uniform was also available, same as for Senior Scouts.

To save space, only insignia on blue will be shown. In almost all
cases, the same insignia is available on white.

Advancement Program
The new Sea Scout advancement program consisted of four ranks: Apprentice,
Ordinary, Able, Quartermaster. Requirements from the 1940s are HERE.

Originally, the sea scouts would only wear the bars of rank by themselves on
the sleeve.Only if they were First
Class Scouts were they allowed to wear the Sea Scout emblem above the
bars.This practice was dropped around
1930 or so.

A special set of rules were put in place that allowed a Sea Scout new to
scouting to earn Tenderfoot, Second Class, and First Class Scout, and from
there progress toward Star, Life, and Eagle Scout. Basically the idea was
they had to complete the 'missing' requirements for those ranks they had not
completed in getting their Sea Scout ranks. Thus an Ordinary Sea Scout
who completes the additional requirements of Second Class First Aid, Second
Class Tracking, Scout's Pace, and Thrift would earn Second Class Scout, and an
Able Sea Scout who completes the additional requirements of First Class First
Aid, First Class Judging, and First Class Nature would earn First Class
Scout. Now that they where First Class Scouts, they could then earn merit
badges, and earn Star, Life, and Eagle. This changed in 1949 when new
rules were put in place.

Sea Scouts could also earn Senior Scout titles, and the title patches were
made on navy blue for them. Requirements for them may be found HERE.

Sea Scout Advancement (1924-49)

Unit Organization
During this time period, Sea Scout Ships would be organized into Crews, similar
to Patrols in Boy Scout Troops. The Ship equivalent to Senior Patrol
Leader was the position of "Officer of the Deck". The OD was an
appointed position, and may change from meeting to meeting (it was recommended
the position shift between senior Sea Scouts), and so no insignia was created
for it. Crew Leaders may be elected by the crew or appointed by the
ship's officers (adult leaders). The "positions" of Coxswain,
Boatswain's Mate, and Boatswain were actually applied to Crew Leaders who held
the rank of Apprentice, Ordinary, and Able. The idea was that the
chevrons of those positions replaced the bars of the rank.

Boy Scout and Sea Scout Unit
Comparison

Boy Scout Troop

Sea Scout Ship

Scoutmaster

Skipper

Assistant Scoutmaster

Mate

Senior Patrol Leader

Officer of the Deck (non-permanent)

Assistant Senior Patrol Leader

N/A

Patrol Leader

Boatswain (Able rank Crew Leader)

Patrol Leader

Boatswain's Mate (Ordinary rank Crew Leader)

Patrol Leader

Coxswain (Apprentice rank Crew Leader)

Scribe

Yeoman

Sea Scout Ship Office Insignia

Council/Regional/National
Organization
A structure of committees was developed at the Council, Regional, and National
Levels. These positions were given distinctive insignia. In many
ways, it was this strong committee structure that has probably saved the basic
Sea Scout program over the years from some of the radical changes that has
occurred in the various Senior Scouting programs. Also, in most cases
different terminology was used, both for the positions and for the
levels. Chairman from the National to Districts were called
Commodores. Portmaster was the local District Executive for Sea Scouting,
Local Pilot was the Council Scout Executive, Chief Pilot was the Chief Scout
Executive.

Sea Scout Council/Regional/National
Levels

District

Division

Council

Squadron

Area

Task Force

Region

Flotilla

National

Fleet

From 1925 until 1929, the insignia consisted of silver braid under the Sea
Scout emblem at the bottom of the sleeve. As I have no scans of the
strips based insignia, here is how it looked:

Mate- 1 narrow strip (quarter
inch wide)

Skipper- 1 wide strip (half
inch wide)

Portmaster- 1 narrow & 1
wide strip

Pilot- 2 wide strips

Commodore- 3 wide strips

National Director- 1 broad
strip (inch wide)

National Committee- 1 wide
& 1 broad strip

Chief Pilot- 2 wide & 1
broad strip

In 1930, they added the Sea Scout emblem surrounded by ropes
to designate certain officers. Skippers, Mates, and Professional Scouters
have no ropes. Committee Members had a Rope Oval, and Chairman
(Commodores) had a Rope Diamond. Strips
designed the level of the officer.

As the use of braid was too confusing with Naval insignia,
the stars would replace the strips in 1942. But the standard of
Commodores, Committee Members and Professionals would continue. And does so to
this day.

Council/Regional National Sea Scout Officer
Insignia (1942-on)

Miscellaneous
In 1929, the idea of flagship competitions was begun. In this waySea
Scout ships would try to meet certain criteria to be judges as flagships at the
National, Regional, and Local levels. This would later be picked up in
1947 for the whole Senior Scouting program and would become first the Standard
Senior Scout Unit program starting in 1948, and later the Standard Explorer
Unit program. The design of the patches matches that of Sea Scout
flags. In 1940/41, these flags switched to being half red/half blue, and
the patches then matched as well.

Flagship/Standard Sea Scout Ship

1929 Council Flagship

1929 Regional Flagship

1929 National Flagship

1930 Council Flagship

1930 Regional Flagship

1930 National Flagship

1931 Council Flagship

1931 Regional Flagship

1931 National Flagship

1932 Regional Flagship

1932 National Flagship

1933 Council Flagship

1933 Regional Flagship

1933 National Flagship

1934 Council Flagship

1934 Regional Flagship

1934 National Flagship

1935 Council Flagship

1935 Regional Flagship

1935 National Flagship

1936 Council Flagship

1936 Regional Flagship

1936 National Flagship

1937 Council Flagship

1937 Regional Flagship

1937 National Flagship

1938 Council Flagship

1938 Regional Flagship

1938 National Flagship

1939 Council Flagship

1939 Regional Flagship

1939 National Flagship

1940 Council Flagship

1941 Flotilla Flagship

1942 Fleet Flagship

1943 Squadron Flagship

1943 Fleet Flagship

1944 Squadron Flagship

1944 Fleet Flagship

1945 Squadron Flagship

1945 Fleet Flagship

1946 Flotilla Flagship

1947 Squadron Flagship

1947 Flotilla Flagship

Another idea of Sea Scouts was that of the "Long Cruise".
This was for a shipboard trip of at least a week in duration. Special
patches were issued, along with arcs for additional Long Cruises. Red
arcs for additional cruises, white for 5 additional cruises.

Long Cruise Insignia

In 1938, a special training award for Skippers, equivalent to the
Scoutmaster's Key, was created. This award was discontinued in 1948,
after which Skipper's would receive the Scouter's Key (the now renamed
Scoutmaster's Key). Mates could earn the Scouter's Training Award.
They would use the Scouter's Key and Scouter's Training Award knots, which
would be produced on white and navy blue up until the 1970s, and receive the
standard Scouter's Key and Scouter's Training Award medals. To indicate
that the awards were earned as Sea Scout leaders, the knots and medals would
have the small Sea Scout knot device on them.

Skipper's Key

Literature
The new Sea Scout program created by Thomas Keene resulted in a new edition of
the Sea Scout Manual. This would be later revised in 1939.

A Skipper's Handbook was written by Dr. William Menninger, based on
his "S.S.S. Kansan Skipper's Aide", and went thru two editions.
Not sure how much was taken from the old Aids for Sea Scout Leaders
booklet. Later a Crew Leader's Handbook would also be produced.

Several volumes in National's Service Library were written for Sea Scouting,
as were a wide range of other booklets, available from the Sea Scouting
Division. No booklets for any other senior scouting program were
produced, though.

A short lived National Sea Scout newsletter was started. National
ended it around 1943 and expected all adult leaders to using Scouting
magazine, and not develop program-specific magazines.

Series E #1, How to
Organize a Sea Scout Ship, 19283189 How to Organize a Sea Scout Ship, 19313190 What Sea Scouts Do, 19303728 The Sea Scout Patrol, 19303728A The Sea Scout Patrol and How it Holds
Scouts in the Troop, 19313728A The Sea Scout Patrol in a Troop- A
Scoutmaster's Opportunity, 1939

National Sea Scout Log
V1, #1 April 1936 first issue
V8, #? September 1943 last issue